The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-06-15

sThere are hundreds of thousands
of dollars worth of jeweiry smuggieo
into this city every year, said Gus
tom-honse officer to reporter for this
paper recently. land the methods en-
ployed to defraud the government are
as various as the ingenuity of the
crooked human mind can suggest. The
value of jewelry can well be expressed
by the Latin phrase. y1altaDl iB pdrro.
and il does not require much space to
hide away $500 or 81 900 in that kind
of goods where it win be next to inn
possible for q government official to
find it.
Men used to import diamonds in
their hair until that method became so
well known that few attempt it now.
Those who make a regular business Of
smuggling often have an accomplice
among the steerage passengers of the
vessel in which they come over, and
they sew jewels into the ragged cloth
ing of an immigrant whom no one
would suspect of carrying about such
valuable articles One person not very
long ago had a number Of diamonds
concealed under a porous plaster on
his back. Information regarding him
was sent from one of the cities on the
other side, but he succeeded in eluding
the officials and brought his diamonds
into the city. He was closely watched,
however. and he had no sooner divest-
ed himself of his plaster than the off,
cials pounced upon him and seized his
contraband wares. The marks on his
L 4. 4
We're quite plain.
'Faise bottoms 10 trunks and other
receptaeles are now out of date, though
that method was much employed wears
ago. One man had diamonds fastened
under his armpits. and he was exposed
by being injured by them when an
officer took hold of his arm.
"Concealing iewelry in clothing is
rather risky. When person is sus-
pected of attempting to smuggle he is
so thoroughly searched that anything
concealed on his person is almost sure
10 be found. The most popular meth
DDS now are TO conceal valuable arti-
cles in objects wholly dissociated with
the smuggler. Diamonds have been
imbedded in little sticks of wood and
either floated ashore or carried in some
less risky way. One smuggler, some
years ago, brought over an English
cart, ON which he was quite willing to
pay duty but not on the diamonds con-
cealed in the felloes under the tires.
One ingenious person once constructed
kaleidoscope. which he filed with
broken bits of glass, diamonds, sap
phires. and other precious stones. He
was discovered because he was little
too anxious to exhibit it and TO paw
duty on il.
MANY Italians smuggle jewelry in
the casks of grapes they import. Some
have hidden diamonds in demijohns of
liquor paying duty on that. but not
on the stones Others have smuggIed
jewelry in loaves of bread, pies, cakes.
fruits, flowers tobacco, in every staple
of the grocery, in short. 1t is quite
favorite method now TO conceal one
dutiable article within another.
Sometimes people are willing to
suffer considerable bodily discomfort,
even pain, for the sake of cheating the
government. One man, some years
ago. imbedded a valuable diamond in
lAtf iit9At VI ttiS arm. ne WAS CLOSELY
examined, and he complained of the
boil with which he was afflicted IL
struck one of the officers that the boil
was very peculiar one. and doctor
was called. He soon found the Jewel
in the smuggler's arm. He must have
expended much thought, time. snd pa
tienee to make the artificial ailment
with which he was afflicted
.'It is also reported that smugglers
have swallowed the Jewels they tried
To conceal. but no one has indulged in
that sort of diet more than once as far
as known. 1t is not nutritious, and
does not have a soothing effect on the
nerves.
"No, the adage that the opportunity
makes the thief is shown to be well
founded in the matter of smuggling
diamonds. 1t can be easily done, and
innumerable persons make themselves
criminals thereby, while in regard to
more bulky goods that can not be con-
cealed so well they affect scrupulous
honesty. "-Nea0 York Commercial Ad-
UeTttScr.